MEETING, MONDAY, MAY 1. 75 



During a series of years, now nearly twenty, in which 

 I have taken notes on the time of blossoming of the early 

 spring flowers, I have come to the conclusion that April 

 is the earliest season in which we can say that the spring 

 flowers are in blossom. This, of course, is the time when 

 any one, who is conversant with their habit and has a 

 knowledge of localities, may find them. Any earlier 

 time of flowering is due to a series of peculiar circum- 

 stances. Sometimes early seedlings blossom in October 

 and November ; I have found the Hepatica and the Tha- 

 lictrum every month in the year except September. In 

 1869 the Hepatica was in blossom in December, in January 

 1870, and though we had a snowstorm the 2nd of Feb- 

 ruary, I collected some on the 4th from under the snow. 

 March 4th to 10th I have 'got some Hepaticas in flowed 

 every year since, and not in the same place more than two 

 seasons in succession. If an early snow remains on the 

 ground through November, December and January, in 

 a locality called Oakes' Ledge in Danvers, the frost will 

 have come out sufficiently for them to blossom on the 

 last of February or first of March, or shortly after the 

 Line Gale which usually occurs at about this time, as 

 the snow is usually carried away by it. Again, at Mile 

 Brook, another locality in Danvers, unless we have a 

 snowstorm from the southeast in the latter part of Febru- 

 ary, we are almost sure to find Hepaticas in early March. 

 This spot is a rocky ravine facing the southeast. Some- 

 thing similar might be said of several other localities 

 -in this vicinity. Again the 8ymplocarpus fcetidus (Skunk 

 Cabbage) may be found on the borders of Leach's Swamp, 

 in a series of large spring holes, at any time after Jan- 

 uary. I have collected it for analysis for the last ten 

 years each succeeding February or early March. Save 



